Wyo wolves could stay under federal control
By WHITNEY ROYSTER
Star-Tribune environmental reporter
JACKSON — Whether Wyoming’s gray wolf population will be part of the animal’s broader removal from federal protection in the Rocky Mountains is yet to be seen, but federal officials said a proposal for delisting will move forward with or without Wyoming.
Lynn Scarlett, deputy secretary of the Interior, told reporters in a news conference Monday that if Wyoming does not move forward with a federally approved management plan, a “significant portion of the range would remain protected under the Endangered Species Act.”
Population levels necessary to meet federal requirements in those areas outside the national parks would continue to be overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she said. That means management would be largely unchanged.
Idaho and Montana would be able to move forward with their state plans, which call for maintaining a minimum number of wolves in each state, and would not shoulder any additional burden because of Wyoming, she said.
The federal government’s proposal to delist wolves did not come as a surprise, and Wyoming officials have been negotiating intermittently with federal representatives for more than a month to find an agreeable compromise that would allow Wyoming to assume control of wolves.
“Really, the future is in the Interior Department*s hands. If they can give us help on the ability to provide protection for elk and moose — the wildlife — I think there’s a real interest in the Legislature in getting something done,” Gov. Dave Freudenthal said in an e-mail Monday.
Several sticking points have slowed efforts.
“I remain concerned about the amount of private land that would be included in the proposed trophy game area, as well as the definition and number of wolves that would compose a breeding pair,” Freudenthal said in a statement Monday. “The ultimate question, though, is whether or not Wyoming will be given the flexibility to manage wolves that are causing an unacceptable impact on our elk and moose populations.”
The governor also said he said “delighted by the potential for progress in Montana and Idaho, although it seems to be of limited value for wildlife.”
“I am also pleased that Fish and Wildlife believes the populations in Idaho, Montana and Yellowstone National Park are sufficient for delisting without the other Wyoming packs,” he said. “This raises the interesting question of whether any packs outside Yellowstone in Wyoming are even necessary.”
Ed Bangs, federal wolf recovery coordinator for the lower 48 states, said packs outside Yellowstone and in Wyoming are “absolutely” necessary to the recovery of gray wolves.
Bangs said most of the suitable habitat in the greater Yellowstone area is in Wyoming, and about half or more of that habitat is outside the national parks.
“That area is critical to keeping the GYA population afloat,” he said. Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are estimated to maintain eight breeding packs, and Wyoming should manage for the balance of seven breeding pairs to achieve the necessary 15 packs for the state.
Federal requirements dictate states should maintain 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves for the animal to be considered recovered. Officials peg 15 as a viable number of breeding pairs to aim for to give wildlife managers a proper “cushion.”
In Cheyenne Monday, legislative officials continued to work on wolf management plans.
Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, said his group does not accept that delisting is better than nothing.
“It’s better if they are delisted under the right terms,” he said.
Key issues are what types of assistance and control measures are enacted after delisting, and what obligations the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would have to protect livestock, he said.
Magagna said he is still “very concerned” with private lands included in the area eyed for trophy game status.
Meredith Taylor with the Wyoming Outdoor Council said delisting will likely be more difficult without Wyoming’s involvement. She said the legislature is “very split” on how to manage wolves, and if no acceptable plan is passed, the state will be excluded from delisting.
“Is that a good thing? No. We wanted everyone to be a player,” she said. “Wyoming has let their own anti-predator opinions get in the way of good science and sound Endangered Species Act recovery.”
Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall said he believes Wyoming will pass the appropriate legislation this session, but if not, Wyoming’s wolves will remain under federal control.
Wyoming would have another chance to pass wolf legislation next year, although it is a budget session and would require more work to get a bill on the table. The current delisting proposal will require about a year to work through the system, and most assume any final decision will be subject to lawsuits.